Allianz National Football League Division Two: Meath v Fermanagh (tomorrow, 3pm, Pairc Tailteann)
EXPECTATION can bring prosperity, but it can also be a poisonous air.
Consider that the bubble of positivity that surrounded Fermanagh amid a strong showing in Division Two last year, and how it differs to the general mood around their performance this year.
Without question, the defeat by Kildare was demoralising, but they bounced back brilliantly against Clare last weekend. And was the 4-14 they conceded to the Lilywhites any worse than the 3-13 they leaked to Derry on the opening day last year?
Pete McGrath’s side certainly have been leakier in defence this year. Their average concession per game has risen from 1-9 to just over 2-10.
And for a side whose core strength is its solidity and safety, to see that figure rise and only keep one clean sheet in the League is a concern.
But at the other end, they have improved. Their average score per game has also risen by a point. This time last year, they had four points in the League table, same as they do now.
And yet through the prism of heightened expectation, the two campaigns have looked like chalk and cheese.
“At this stage, our priority is to stay in the division,” concedes Pete McGrath.
“Promotion, we felt, was a justifiable target. It hasn’t turned out that way.”
The defensive issue is the most pressing concern. Consecutive tallies of 1-13, 1-14 and 4-14 against left need for a bit of soul-searching, but McGrath feels last weekend’s win over Clare – where they kept the Banner to 1-10 – was a step forward.
“Defensively we were a lot better last Sunday. We were more organised, tighter, we denied them space and time, which we’d maybe been too generous with in regard to other teams recently.
“Defensively we know we’ve slipped a wee bit but that happens in the life of any team. We know we haven’t been as secure as we had been last season, but we’re dealing with it.”
Ahead of a tricky trip to Pairc Tailteann, a decision was due to be made last night on the availability of Tomás Corrigan, who came off in the early moments against Clare with a calf strain.
His replacement, Eoin McManus, suffered a broken collarbone during the second half that could well end his inter-county season.
Having missed last weekend’s game for personal reasons, Ryan McCluskey will return to the squad to face Andy McEntee’s side, who sit third in the table but mathematically closer to relegation than promotion.
It’s been an inconsistent campaign from them so far, with no better example than last Sunday’s draw with Cork. Having found themselves nine points down after 45 minutes, they clawed their way back.
But most of the clawing was done in the space of 15 minutes and with 12 left to play, the gap was down to a point. It was their failure to win that exasperated their manager moreso than the poor first two-thirds of the game.
They’ve lost just three times at home in the League since 2013, two of them last year to promoted duo Tyrone and Cavan, and with an outside chance of going up still in the eyeline, they could leave Fermanagh needing a last-day win over Derry to survive.
